Learning From The Critics

"Just as difficult circumstances can be opportunities for growth, so can interactions with difficult people. Imagine that any difficult person you encounter is actually the Buddha in disguise, put there to teach you a specific lesson about life or about yourself. What do you think the universe is trying to teach you?"

Although I dislike conflict as much as anyone else, these do tend to be moments that stick clearly in my mind. They can be sources of self-loathing. Or they can be sources of self-teaching. I learned long ago that among my talents is not to respond with a lot of words when being criticized. In many cases, looking back, a simple "thank you" would have been almost all that I needed to say. Then I can reflect later with a more relaxed point of view and sort out the upside of what happened.